By: Jaime O. Perez, El Paso Metro
Barbara Perez, former city council representative for District #6, is pondering whether to challenge Dolores Briones in the March Democratic primary. A lifelong Democrat, Barbara is considered a centrist in the party. She is pro-life, pro-business, has an impeccable record of honesty and is known for her fairness. “It is a matter of money,” she said. Early in the game, most money commits to incumbents and it is difficult for challengers to compete against the favors that might be bestowed by the incumbent. One thing that helps Barbara is that Republicans are friendly to her because of her pro-life and pro-business positions.
One Republican activist, wishing to remain anonymous, said that there would be financial support for Barbara Perez if she ran as a Republican. She responded, “While I agree with some positions with the Republican Party–such as pro-life, I cannot see a scenario in which I would leave the Democratic Party.”
The Republican Party is still reeling from the defections of Dan Power and Jan Sumrall. But, their departure was seen as a blessing by some in the Republican Party. “Good riddance..” said one Republican activist. “Power and Sumrall have come to the end of their careers because of their support for increased taxes and their butt kissing political style. It is disgusting to watch. They are going nowhere as Republicans or Democrats.”
Meanwhile, a group of Democratic precinct chairs commented, “We could not believe our ears when we heard of the defections. We don’t want them in the Democratic Party. How shameless do you have to be to walk into the Democratic Party after making your career in the Republican Party?”
A Barbara Perez switch to the Republican Party would boost the party and at the same time make for an interesting race. But, Barbara Perez remains noncommittal about running at all. “At this time, I am still thinking about it (running for County Judge) and expect to make a decision very soon,” she remarked.
